Pursuit for Truth: Behind the Ninja's Mask
by HHbayntonette
Summary: A crossover between Junjou Romantica and Detective Conan. No lemons or smut included, rest assured. Takahashi Misaki lands himself into a bit of a trouble after he received a threatening letter. With Usami Akihiko's support, he decided to enlist the help of Kudou Shinichi, the famed detective.
1. Introduction: Characters

**Characters**

Detective Conan characters:

-Kudou Shinichi (Famous detective)

-Mouri Ran (or Kudou Ran, since she's married to Shinichi)

-Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko, Yoshida Ayumi, Kojima Genta (The original Detective boys )

-Inspector Megure Juuzou

-Kudou Aiko &amp; Conan (Shinichi and Ran's son and daughter, Conan's older than Aiko by 2 years.)

-Akai Eri (Daughter of Miyano Shiho and Akai Shuuichi)

Junjou Romantica characters:

-Takahashi Misaki (University student, Freeloader at Usami Akihiko's &amp; Lover of Akihiko)

-Usami Akihiko (famed author and BL novelist, Misaki's lover)


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

The wailing of police sirens could be heard.

The police were seen outside Mitsuhashi University, some photographing the crime scene, some were questioning witnesses and keeping curious onlookers at bay.

"Mr. Kudou, I'm glad you're here!" A young policeman greeted while lifting the police line, allowing Shinichi to enter the crime scene.

Shinichi looked around, walking swiftly towards a police officer in a brown coat and hat.

"Oh, Kudou-kun! You finally came, you're assistance would be a great help."

"It's been a really long time, Inspector Megure." the detective said politely towards the man.

The inspector had enlisted his assistance in a lot of cases countless times, despite the detective's young age.

Both men respect each other of their professions, getting along was never a problem from them.

Deep tyre tracks and small shreds of paper were scattered on the ground.

"A cash delivery truck dissapeared within hours this afternoon, right?" the detective asked, examining the tyre tracks.

"Apparently the truck was carrying about 3 million yen, it is vital that we locate its whereabouts. The forensics were still analysing the shreds of paper." Inspector Megure explained, while the detective slipped on some gloves.

"The paper had traces of aging... the texture is a bit coarse, and there's some ink on it..." The detective picked up a piece of the paper between his fingers and examined the material.

"Any ideas on possible suspects?" the detective continued.

"We've questioned the staff and students of the university, seeing it as the nearest place to the crime scene. Any clues on where it might lead to?" Inspector Megure shrugged.

"That's the only way to start the investigation." The detective beamed a confident smile.


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Usagi-san, there are lots of letters in the mailbox," Takahashi Misaki reminded as he stepped into the living room of the luxury apartment he and his lover Usami Akihiko had shared for years.

"Welcome back, Misaki." the tall, smartly dressed man descended the stairs with a massively huge teddy bear under his arm.

After Misaki had set the bag of groceries on the kitchen bench, he shuffled through the stack of letters he had in his hands.

"Ah! You haven't paid the water and electricity bill, haven't you?!" Misaki exclaimed in surprise.

"It's too troublesome, Misaki can handle it." Usami sat on the counch in the living room, sitting the teddy bear beside him.

"Sheesh, Usagi-san, you do know that's your duty. You can't always depend on me for everything."

It's times like this that made Misaki wonder how Usami had managed to live on his own before he came into his life and started looking after everything for him.

"I'm Usami-sama, you shall settle it for me." proceeding to light a cigarette, Usami stated.

"In your dreams, Usagi-san-Didn't you promise me that you'll quit smoking?! Please think about your own health!" Misaki rushed over to Usami and snatched the pack of cigarette and the lighter that was lying on the seat cushion beside him.

"I'll take this, thank you very much!" Misaki took the lit cigarette Usami held between his fingers and put it out in the crystal ashtray that sat on the glass coffee table.

"What, you're worried about me?"

"Of course I am! You should be concerned of your health as well!" Misaki exclaimed.

"Alright," Usami gave in, lying on the couch with his head resting on the teddy bear's lap.

Misaki continued to shuffle through the letters until one caught his attention.

"To Takahashi Misaki... Who is it from?" Misaki wondered, opening the envelope, only to be shocked by the contents.

Inside the envelope contained only a folded sheet with letters cut out from newspapers pasted on it.

What really sent chills down his spine was the message.

'Confess what you've seen, you'll end up six feet beneath.' The message wrote.

No name was left, but it shook the young man, sending him into an avalanche of fear.

What could he have done?

"Misaki? Misaki?"

"Huh? What is it, Usagi-san?" Misaki snapped back from his deep thought.

"I asked, 'what's for dinner?'. What's wrong? you don 't seem alright." Usami asked, concerned.

Usami always sees through Misaki's feelings and thoughts instantly, not because of their relationship, but because he knew Misaki's insolictious personality and his own lonesome personality that allowed him to see through things clearly from isolated point of view.

"I'm completely alright, don't worry! Ah, We're having vegetable stew with finely chopped green peppers." Misaki exclaimed hurriedly.

The last thing Misaki wanted was for Usami to worry about him.

Usami kept on staring at Misaki with a look of doubt.

"W-what is it?"

"Nothing...just take out the green peppers." Usami added, still locking his glance onto Misaki.

"Nope." Misaki instantly strapped on his apron and began to prepare the meal.

"He's definitely hiding something...but there's no way he'll tell me in this situation." Usami thought to himself.

Noticing Usami's stare, Misaki forced a smile as he continued to slice the green peppers.

After the cooking was done, the two sat at the dining table.

The steaming bowl of vegetable looked tempting and mouth-watering.

Misaki had a flair for cooking, and all the other things that made Misaki who he was had made Misaki irresistable as a person.

Usami had often wondered that where would he be without Misaki.

Despite that, Misaki often kept his worries to himself, which Usami can't help but feel overprotective of him .

Usami often wanted Misaki to confide in him if troubles were to come, but he never does.

The fact that Misaki's hiding something from him made Usami feel incredibly insecure.

"Itadakimasu."

They helped themselves to their meal, while ocassionally exchanging glances with each other.

Having their meals together had been a promise that they would try to keep ever since the time when Misaki started university and lived under Usami's roof.

The only sounds that could he heard were the clinking of their spoons against the bowl and the ticking of the clock that hung upon the wall.

The silence was not unsual, but today it was unbearable.

Misaki had tried to force a cheerful attitude, even though it was actually quite the opposite.

"Misaki, if there's something that's worrying you, speak up." Usami stated, setting down his spoon.

"W-what are you saying, Usagi-san? I'm perfectly fine, nothing's happened-"

"I know perfectly well something's happened. Please, just tell me. It worries me." Usami declared solemnly.

"Usagi-san, there's really nothing-"

Misaki had knew it was impossible to hide his feelings from Usami.

It has become a habit for Misaki to keep everything to himself, that he would refuse to share his worries with anyone else, especially with the one he truly loves.

"If you're not going to tell me, I'm going to force it out of you, one way or another." Usami declared, a playful grin played upon his lips.

"A-Alright, Alright, I'll tell you!" Misaki feared what Usami might do to him, knowing his true nature beneath his proclaimed elegance in the public's eyes.

"...This." Misaki took the letter from inside his pocket and passed it to Usami.

Usami unfolded the letter and read it, his eyes widened in shock.

"Misaki, you idiot! You call this 'nothing'?" Usami confronted.

Misaki remained silent, only twirling the spoon in the bowl and watching the soup swirl around.

Usami stood up and bent over, gently planting a kiss on Misaki's forehead.

"Everything will be alright. It'll be fine, we'll face this together." Usami reassured, with a warm smile on his face.

His words gave Misaki strength, as he finally let out a genuine smile.

"Usagi-san, the stew's getting cold."

"I said I don't want green peppers, why did you put them in?"

"You better finish them, it's an order."

"Don't want to." Usami said flatly.

"Grow up, Usagi-san. You're a fully grown adult, not a child." Misaki sighed.

ALthough being 10 years older than Misaki, Usami can be ridiculously childish at times, not to mention, arrogant and selfish, especially when it comes to things he matters.

"...Yes, Misaki-sama." ruffling Misaki's hair, Usami beamed a satisfied smile.

Misaki, knowing that Usami is by his side, instantly felt relieved.

After all, Usami was always there when he needed him the most.

"Misaki, sleep in my room tonight, or possibly the next few weeks as well, until this matter is settled." Usami suddenly suggested.

"Eh? There's no need for that, I'm pefectly fine, it's not like I willl be attacked in the night." Misaki said, while washing the dishes.

"Well, if it's Usagi-san, it's another form of 'attack'..." Misaki thought to himself.

"I'll protect you...Besides, someone still has to pay for making me eat green peppers."

Misaki gulped, with forceful Usami around, he could never get a good night's sleep, no matter how much he tried to refuse or escape.


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As the Detective Boys were on their way to Kudou Conan's home from school, a red foreign luxury sports car drove past them.

They kept their eyes on the car until it drove far away from their sight.

"Whoever owned that car must be very rich, you don't see it much around in Japan." Mitsuhiko stated.

"I want one too~ Too bad my family's not as rich as Conan's..." Genta muttered.

"Yeah, as if my dad _would_ buy something like that. It's pretty flashy for a car, it's bound to be stolen. Besides, if you drove that car, girls will naturally flock to you. Am I right, Genta?" Conan commented, inviting a annoyed glare from Genta.

"I-I wasn't thinking of that, you idiot!" Genta argued, although his flushed face tells a different story.

Conan only greeted him with a smug grin.

Conan's casual sense of sarcasm is becoming more and more evident in his personality, which was similar to his father-Shinichi, when he was his age.

Not to mention the inherited good looks, cool personality and beyond average intelligence he had, which made the girls go starry-eyed over him ever since day one in school.

The fact that his father was a famed detective, added to his popularity and made him more irresistable as a person.

They were 15 minutes away from the Kudou's mansion when they walked past a ice cream shop.

"Nii-chan, let's stop by the ice cream shop. Hey~ please~~~?" Conan's younger sister, Aiko strolled alongside Conan and pleaded in her sweetest voice.

"No way, we've got studying to do this afternoon. Mid terms exams are coming, If you want some, go on your own."

"I would, but I haven't got money on me, so-" Aiko said cheekily, while holding out her hand.

"...Geez..." Conan sighed and got out several notes from his wallet, and placed it onto Aiko's open palm. "There you go."

Aiko often pestered and annoyed him, and she never once failed in going her way of changing her brother's mind.

Yet, it was also the soft spot Conan had for his sister that he always admit defeat to her.

"Although, I'm telling mom that you're wasting your allowances on overindulging in sweet stuff..."

Nevertheless, Conan enjoyed teasing her.

"Ah, please don't, I was going to get you something. There was this new flavour and I think Nii-chan will like it." Aiko hurriedly added.

"You do know I'm not very keen on these-"

"It's expresso flavoured, the strong coffee you liked."

Conan froze, then he gave Aiko a few more notes.

"You want one then? I knew you would say yes! Eri, Ayumi, come with me?" Aiko excitedly grabbed both girls' hands and ran towards the shop, dragging them both behind her.

"It'll only take a while, wait for us, okay?" Aiko exclaimed and gave the boys a wave before heading in.

The three boys stood under a shady tree outside the shop.

"Darn, I fell into her trap, again!"

Conan buried his face in his left palm as Genta and Mitsuhiko watched on.

"You know, Conan, I envy you." Mitsuhiko suddenly stated.

"Huh?"

"You've got a younger sister who's clingy towards you, instead of an elder sister who always make fun of you."

Mitsuhiko had an older sister-Asami, who's bright and cheerful, but can be a bit cheeky when it comes to seeking and seizing opportunities to tease her beloved younger brother-especially of his love interests.

"You know, you might be better off without someone like that; Aiko's a annoying one, it's unbearable."

"Nevertheless, she's still adorable..." Genta, who had remained silent during the whole conversation suddenly commented.

"Genta, you like her, don't you?"

"N-No, what on earth are you suggesting, Mitsuhiko?!" Genta looked away, his face as red as a tomato.

"She's not bad, but she's a bit too nosy. I doubt that you could bear with her." Conan commented, casting his view towards the clouds above.

"Really now? Is that something you would say about your sister?"

"Elementary, my dear Mitsuhiko, There's only one truth, and there's no excuse to deny it." Conan leaned against the tree, adopting a thinking position with his hands.

"Hey now, Sherlock Holmes. Speak human, please." Mitsuhiko commented sarcastically.

"I see no problem with that," In response to Mitsuhiko, Conan just simply shrugged.

The three girls stepped out of the shop, each carrying 2 ice creams in their hands.

"They looked so nice, we decided to get eveyone one! Thank you, Nii-chan!" Aiko gave Conan a light peck on his cheek, inviting jealous glares from Mitsuhiko and Genta.

"...Let me guess, it was my money, wasn't it?" Conan had knew his sister well enough that whenever she does that she was begging for forgiveness-_Aiko-style_.

"Eri suggested it."

Eri, who stood next to Aiko just gave Conan a pleased grin, which he could only sigh once more.

Everyone got their ice-creams, and once again set off to the Kudou's home.

"You know, Eri, you've got a really terrible personality. You must realise that you're starting to get on my bad side..." Conan stated sarcastically.

"Really? That's a pity, because I rather liked you." Eri said with a small smile.

"Eh?"

"Just kidding," The smile had turned to a full-on grin.

It was no wonder that Eri and her mother-Miyano Shiho were so alike in many ways: They had the same cool, level headed personality , and are incredibly sarcastic and sociable at the same time.

The only difference they had were the natural cheerfulness that Eri learned to harness.

But the strong invisible friendship bond between Eri and Conan seemed undeniably similar to those of Shiho and Shinichi's.


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Usami's red sports car halted in front of the tall gates of the Kudou's Mansion.

The view of the mansion was beyond breath taking, considering that it had been in the family for the second generation now.

"I was expecting an apartment or some sort, but this IS one large residence..." Misaki commented, admiring the building.

"Although, not as big as the Usami family's mansion." Misaki then thought to himself.

"If you want, I could buy you one like this."

"Save your money for retirement! Besides, a mansion this big would probably be a bit too much for two people."

"It's decided. I'll get a larger one, if you like. One with 3 storeys, built on a 20 acre land, with at least 20 rooms..." Usami continued.

"Usagi-san, you're not listening!" Misaki snapped.

Sometimes, Misaki hoped that Usami would think twice before deciding to spend money on things he desired, seeing that he's a huge ten years older than him and would have the ability to manage his own finances wisely.

Misaki rang the doorbell, and a female voice came through the intercom.

"Yes?"

"It's Takahashi Misaki and Usami Akihiko, we've had an appointment scheduled at 2pm."

"...Ah, certainly. I'll have the gates opened."

After a brief few minutes, a woman with shoulder length hair black hair walked quickly towards the gate.

She unlocked the gate and invited them in, leading them into the study (and home office) of the house.

The study was beyond ordinary-it was majestic.

Bookshelves ran along the round shaped room, and the impressive second floor of bookshelves as well, which were all filled with books.

The bright, afternoon sunlight shone through the large glass window of the dome shaped ceiling, and a sofa, a coffee table, and an oak study desk sat in the middle of the room.

Two wooden pillars stood beside the entrance of the room.

"Please, take a seat. Mr. Kudou will be with you in a short while. I'm Mouri Ran, his assistant."

She stood by the door, as Misaki and Usami were looking at the bookshelves.

"Wow, now that's what I call a library. Is it alright to read it?" Misaki asked.

"Please, help yourselves. I'll go make some tea."

"Thank you." Usami greeted, while Ran returned it with a small smile as she headed out of the room.

The title, "Night Baron" caught Misaki's attention.

"I've watched this on television, there was a drama adaptation of the book. Isn't it cool Usagi-san? The library?"

"You're right. By the looks of it, It's definitely full of detective novels."

Usami was impressed by the amount of books in the room.

If he'd have this much, he wouldn't hesistate to read all of them.

After all, he had been quite lonely as a child, engrossing himself in writing novels and reading books all the time.

Shinichi's black Jaguar made it's way into the garage.

It was his mother's Silver Jaguar, which was given to him after she had bought a new Mercedes.

Shinichi had it repainted black, and had changed the motor to a safer one.

"You're finally back. Do you, by any chance, remember you have an appointment with a client this afternoon?"

Ran stood by the door, reminding her husband who was about to enter the front door.

"It was at 2 wasn't it? It's a good 20 minutes before the hour..." he glanced at his watch.

"Still, it's better to be at home 30 minutes prior to that. They're waiting for you in the study already."

She opened the front door and laid out a pair of house slippers, as Shinichi bent down and took off his shoes.

"I've only told you to go to the shops that was only 10 minutes away, and you went for a whole hour. What took you so long? I only wanted you to buy me some minced meat."

Ran looked into the plastic bag her husband handed her.

"Can't be helped, can I? The meat all looked the same anyway, it's hard to find the one you wanted. Besides, I met Kazuha and Hattori in the streets. Turns out Hattori too was being dragged out of the house unwillingly today, just to accompany Kazuha at grocery shopping." he placed his shoes on the shoe rack.

"Hey, what do you mean- 'too'? Are you including yourself-?" Ran snapped but was greeted with his speedy comeback.

"-Oh, would you look at the time! I better get ready-" He gave his wife a quick peck on the cheek before giving her a small smile. "Love you!"

Shinichi straightened his coat while he walked briskly towards the study.

"...You're still not forgiven, y'know..." Ran thought to herself, a small smile appeared upon her face.


	6. Chapter 4

(Author's note: It's soooo~ hard not to write yummy stuff when it comes to this Junjou couple...They're just too beautiful~ Then again, Smut and lemons aren't really my forte. Anyways, new chapter...hope it's to your liking :D)

**Chapter 4**

"This is what I've got." Misaki handed the letter to Shinichi.

The detective sat up from his chair, and opened the letter.

"The threat is definitely obvious...When did it came into your hands?"

"It came in the mail two days ago." Misaki continued to explain as Shinichi examined the paper.

"So, what you're saying is that you survived yesterday without encountering any attacks, and you did not seek any protection from the police at all?"

"Not really, no."

As heinous as the message was, it came as a surprise for Shinichi that no attack attempts on his client was made.

"Well, you're lucky, then. In most cases, there would be some sort of malicious incidents. I remembered this case 20 years ago when a child went missing after his sister recieved something like that. I can't quite recall how the case was solved though." Shinichi explained.

"This little guy won't go missing. Not on my watch." Usami suddenly spoke as he gave Misaki a long glance.

"Ah, well... That's great. You know, I wanted to ask something about your relationship to him, but I think I found my answer. Isn't it about time you both let go?"

Shinichi kept his eyes on Misaki and Usami's intertwined hands.

Flustered, Misaki hurriedly freed his hand from Usami's tight grip.

He hadn't noticed that they had held hands for a whole 40 minutes.

The fact that it was natural had led him to slip up on his biggest secret, the secret that he feared would come into light.

"Married. The matching rings." Shinichi deduced, observing them.

Misaki kept staring at the floor, his face beet red.

"For a few years already, Mr Kudou. Loveliest wife any man could get." Usami said cooly, as if it was a natural thing to be proud of.

"Well, he does seem a bit feminine." Shinichi had to agree, as he had observed that Misaki seemed to be a lot like Ran at times.

"Usagi-san!" Misaki couldn't believe what he was hearing, even the detective seemed to side with Usami. "Uh, about that, It was-"

"Rest assured, Mr. Takahashi. Respecting the client's privacy is part of my work. Your secret's safe with me." Shinichi gave Misaki a sincere smile, "Although, with that ring around, it's going to raise a few questions...for someone who's married, you're quite young."

"I'll put it down to 'my interest' if people ever asked, I suggest you do the same too, Misaki." Once again, despite the absurdity of his response, Usami said cooly.

"Just put it on a chain and wear it around your neck, people in New York are doing it!"

Before they had noticed, a young girl, in her school uniform appeared behind Shinichi.

"Aiko! How did you get in?! I thought I told you to not disturb when I have clients around!"

Shinichi had made sure he locked the door before they had started their conversations regarding the case, it had not occured to him that his daughter would interrupt him.

"I'm so sorry, papa, but I have left my books in here and I really need it for studying."

Aiko's face was full of remorse and regret, that it made Shinichi felt a little bad for yelling at her.

"You picked the lock? Please, next time, just knock, alright?" He sighed and ruffled her hair. "Now get your things and stay out until I'm finished, ok?"

Aiko gave her father a small nod and headed off to get her books.

"I apologise for the interruption. I will teach her a lesson for eavesdropping. Please, be assured that your case still remains confidential with only me." Shinichi stood up and gave them an apologetic bow.

"It's alright," Misaki reassured, "Your daughter's got a point, I might consider it."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, a few more questions-" Shinichi sat down once more and started talking to Usami.

Aiko stood not far away from Misaki and caught his attention when she headed off to leave the room.

"I'm sorry for interrupting." Aiko said softly, yet in a volume that Misaki could hear.

Misaki returned Aiko's apologetic gaze with a smile.

"It's fine." Misaki gave her a thumbs up.

He was quite grateful of her appearance, as the conversation around his wedding ring seemed to have ceased.

After Usami noticed Misaki's happy interactions with Aiko from the corner of his eye, his felt a little pang of jealousy overcoming him.

Misaki had learned to be very cautious of his interactions with others when his 'husband' is around, as Usami's overprotectiveness over him can be somewhat overwhelming.

Nevertheless, that's the Usami Misaki had always loved, and that's what Misaki loved about Usami.

An hour and thirty minutes had passed, and their conversation had come to an end.

"Well, Mr Usami, Mr Takahashi, I will do my best to investigate this case."

Shinichi shook their hands.

"Mr Kudou, thank you so much." Misaki returned.

"Speaking of which, Mr Kudou, I can't help but notice 'Koharu's short stories' over there." Usami said, pointing to one bookshelf behind the desk.

"Ah, yes, my daughter enjoyed it, and I found it rather interesting after she'd told me about it. It's certainly a great literature work of yours, I must say."

Aiko had also introduced Ran and Eri to it; Her brother Conan, whereas, still preferred the detective stories more.

A whole three rows on the bookshelf had been dedicated to storing the novels, the admiration Aiko had for the famed author is definitely not to be questioned.

"Thank you for the compliment. I find 'Night Baron' rather interesting as well, are they your works?" Usami had always had an affinity for his old works, as it reflected how he'd changed throughout the long years.

"No, it's my father, Kudou Yusaku's. But thank you for the compliment as well. Come, I'll show you out."

Shinichi had never imagined that Usami would be a fan of 'Night Baron', it made him feel proud of his father.

"I've decided, we'll stop by a jewellery store and get matching chains, that way we can wear the ring the same way."

Misaki was strapping on his seatbelt when Usami suddenly suggested.

"Eh? Don't decide things all by yourself, I never said I wanted one."

"I'm getting you one, and that's final. No buts."

Usami's insistence had forced Misaki to accept the offer.

"If you insist..." Misaki had to smile...that's probably the only sensible thing that his Usagi-san had said the whole day.


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

"Miyagi-sensei, is there anything that needs to be moved in?" Misaki carefully placed the wooden box he was holding on the table.

"Ah, Takahashi-kun," Miyagi You, Mitsuhashi University's Japanese Literature professor, stepped down from the tall ladder adn headed towards Misaki.

He was putting up a banner in front of the hall entrance, which had 'Bashou Exhibition' written on it.

"It seems like we've got all of them in already..." Prof. Miyagi looked towards the pile of boxes gathered on one corner of the room. "But just in case, check the truck outside."

"Alright," misaki headed towards the large truck parked outside the school gates.

It seemed that it had moved outside the school compound, and it was also parked next to another sturdy looking, black truck.

A dark shade of crimson lit the sky.

The cars and people around the area had become lesser.

Misaki checked his wristwatch...It was half past 6 in the evening.

He had volunteered to help set up for the exhibition, which was to be opened to the public in 4 week's time.

"I should get this done and go home. Usagi-san's probably starving right now." Misaki thought to himself as he walked quickly towards the truck.

Noticing the wide-opened doors, Misaki couldn't help but wonder if anyone's sorting out the space.

"Excuse me, is there anything else-"

Looking into the back of the truck, something caught his attention.

Not a single person was to be seen.

One box sat there.

It's lock had come undone, as if it was forced open.

Misaki was greeted with a surprise, as the moment he lifted it open, the large wooden framed glass exibition case still seemed intact.

But there was more that met the eye, for there was a small piece of paper poking out from one corner of the frame.

Curiousity came over him, as Misaki found himself reaching out his hands, attempting to pry the frame open.

Out of the sudden, he was greeted with a strong blow on the back of his head.

"Looks like we've got an intruder here..."

Misaki laid on the ground, the excruciating pain took away his strenght and conciousness.

"That voice, that face-" Misaki was vaguely familiar with the person that stood before him, but he couldn't remember anything.

The throbbing of the injured spot, it threatened to kill him more, as the sensation of a crack and warm red liquid flowing from the spot had began to invade Misaki's mind.

"The axe didn't quite do it huh? Well, here's another treat-" Another voice said.

The person pulled out something from his coat pocket and aimed it at Misaki's chest.

A gun. With a silencer.

His fingers slowly moved to pull the trigger-

Misaki jolted awake, but couldn't lift himself up.

His hand reached up to his chest.

A wave of relief soon washed over him.

No traces of blood or bullets were to be seen.

"A dream huh...to think that this would still come and haunt me..."

Misaki found Usami sprawled upon his chest, his arms resting upon Misaki's stomach.

"Geez, I should have guessed it..."

Misaki let out a sigh, but a small reassured smile bloomed across his face as he stared at Usami.

No wonder he couldn't get up.

It was a mystery as to why he does that, but it never failed to irritate Misaki every single time.

But not this time...right now, it's just...pleasant...

Misaki gently ran a hand through the sleeping man's hair.

"...Misaki, you've had that dream again, huh?"

Without realising, Usami had already woken up.

He wrapped his arms tightly around Misaki's waist.

"Ah, Usagi-san! I's sorry for waking you up-"

Startled, Misaki immediately took away the hand that rested on Usami's head.

"Don't." Misaki's retreating hand was held firmly and replaced once again on the same spot.

"It's warm... It means that you're here with me. So.. there's nothing to be afraid of..."

"Usagi-san..."

Misaki can feel the Usami's warmth on his skin.

Usami's voice trailed off slowly, as if he's drifted back to sleep-

Wait. NO.

A strange sensation suddenly came over Misaki, as Usami's hand slowly moved beneath the covers.

"Don't do that! Oi! Stop it, Stupid Usagi!" Misaki protested, squirming at an attempt to free himself from Usami's grasp.

"A little something to distract you from your bad dream..." Usami did not budge at all, his voice dropped to a low soft whisper.

"Just where do you think you're touching right now?! I SAID STOP! AAAH!"

It's very unlikely that Misaki's going to claim victory in this 'fight'.

(A/N: I was so tempted to add in a bit of detail in the end, but I decided not to... Hoped you enjoyed it :D)


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Nothing new, Inspector!"

"Understood, keep working on it."

After the young police officer was dismissed, Inspector Megure leaned back against his chair and massaged his throbbing temples.

The GPS device planted on the missing vehicle had proved to be useless, as it was deliberately tampered with beforehand. It was not until an informant reported of a truck abandoned in a creek in the countryside, the progression on the case remained at a halt.

The only accounts of the truck's whereabouts, according to eyewitness reports and through security video footages, was that it was being drove into a tunnel on a highway. As it was never seen coming out of the other end of the tunnel, it was immediately assumed that it had been under a different disguise.

"Hamamatsu, huh?" Inspector Megure muttered to himself. "That's quite a long way to go."

Now that the key element has been found, the inspector hoped that Shinichi was making more progress in uncovering the truth behind the scenes.

"Be careful, Shinichi!" Ran waved her husband off at the mansion gates.

Shinichi poked his head out of the window. "Just be careful of anything suspicious around the house!"

She gave Shinichi a nod of agreement before he rolled up the window and drove away.

Ever since Shinichi's started the investigation on this case, he had received several ominous threats.

Such as letters threatening to harm him and his family, or the sight of a few cars and people following them… they all convey a clear message: STAY OUT.

He and Ran decided that it would be best if their two children would be sent to and picked up from school, just to make sure they were safe, even though Conan and Aiko had tried to convince them that they could defend themselves.

This time, there was no negotiating. They were to do as they were told.

The detective had been investigating several murders and robberies prior to this case.

The first four cases were suspicious deaths of several bank security guards while they were on night duty. The robberies followed shortly after that, with as much as 5 incidents happening in Tokyo, Gunma, Nagano, Saitama and Wakayama.

The banks robbed were under the same name, and as billions were lost, it could bring about a financial crisis.

With large scaled crimes like this, it was no mistake in concluding that this is the work of a crime syndicate.

"A security breach in the bank's database from multiple unknown and unidentified IP address, it was discovered from the traffic, Kudou-kun."

"Thank you, police officer Takagi. Tell the bank headquarters I'll be heading straight over," Shinichi spoke into his device.

He drove his car out of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Building's car park. A request for a meeting by Inspector Megure brought him here. Megure had informed him of the emerging security breaches in the databases of the police department's databases as well, alerting Shinichi to keep a careful eye on the current situation.

The detective smiled.

He had his doubts and assumptions, but after that meeting it had been confirmed.

Shinichi had a many ideas regarding the possible suspect, but now it had seem to narrow down to a few people.

All he needed right now, is a few more evidence to single out the culprit and the organization.

"Almost there…"

In the database room, Shinichi tapped away on the keyboard. Upon the computer screens were a bunch of unknown codes and commands. Determined to solve the case, he used everything he knew to make sure he get a grasp of the hackers' identity on the other line.

It was not a simple task, but it finally took a several experts and the detective himself about a few days' worth of work just to destroy the thick barrier the enemy had set up.

"-and done!"

The systems finally budged, and after analyzing the data, it had become clear.

Although some small doubts and questions had begun to sprout and appear, the hacker's locations had been found, opening up a new path.

There is no chance to lose.

"Hello, Inspector? I would require your cooperation."

Ending the conversation after a few minutes, he drove off once again to the Inspector's office.


	9. Chapter 7

A/N: It's been a while since Aiko made an appearance, so let's just switch it around for a bit :D Thank you to all of those who read and supported this story, A thousand thank you's 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantic or Detective Conan, only my OC's (Kudou Aiko, Kudou Conan and Eri)

Chapter 7

Aiko was exploring by herself in the study when the sound of the fax machine startled her.

Her father had been out all day investigating.

She never expected the dusty old machine sitting in the corner of the room to function, let alone seeing sheets of paper coming out from the machine.

"What's this?" She murmured as she approached the machine.

She shuffled through the stack of printouts as soon as the printing finally halted.

Looking at the contents, it was something relating to the details of the bank robberies happening all around Japan.

"'The details as you have requested, Kudou. Be sure to report on your findings as soon as possible. Police Inspector Megure'…" intrigued by the contents, she continued to read through each page in detail.

There is no doubt that the gene of curiosity had passed down in the Kudou family.

Aiko was on the final page of the report when she heard a loud noise coming from outside.

With her father's instructions in mind, she put the papers in a safe hidden amongst the bookshelves and headed out of the room, without forgetting to lock the door.

She grabbed a golf club on her way, and exited the front door.

Upon entering the backyard, she was struck with a moment of horror.

A flaming bottle lay on the newly trimmed grass.

Fetching the garden hose as quick as she could, she sprayed water over the bottle, while taking a careful look around to see if there were any suspicious people around or any more of these flaming bottles.

She rushed back indoors.

To her relief, study door remained unscathed.

No one broke in.

Entering the study once more, she took a careful look around.

With the golf club in her hand, she cautiously approached every corner of the room.

Without warning, a pair of hands grabbed Aiko from behind.

In a split second, she turned around. Her hand instinctively swung the golf club towards the attacker, but stopped when she heard a familiar cry.

"Ai-chan! It's Granny!  
The person who said that couldn't be more familiar to Aiko herself, for she was the loving grandmother that she spent her younger years with.

Hiding behind her was Aiko's own brother, Conan.

"Gran, I told you it was a bad idea to sneak in behind her, Aiko almost killed you there-" Conan sighed.

Kudou Yukiko was Shinichi's cheerful and cheeky mother. For an elderly person approaching her mid-50s, she still travelled the world with her detective novelist husband, Kudou Yuusaku.

"Granny, Nii-chan! Why don't you let me know it's you!? You gave me a scare!" Aiko pouted, burying herself in her Grandmother's embrace. "I missed you…"

"Ai-chan always loves a good surprise~ I couldn't help but sneak in."

Yukiko's ninja skills were impressive, TOO impressive.

When Aiko was a little girl, she always had to admit defeat to her grandmother when they play hide and seek together. It was odd, considering that it should be the other way around.

"And," Yukiko declared happily, while looking at both Conan and Aiko. "I'm staying with you for one month starting today! It's going to be exciting!"

She gave them both a strangling hug, until Conan groaned.

"-Can't-Breath-e-"

Upon that, she released them both.

"So, what got you so worked up just now, Ai-chan?"

Aiko looked around. She seemed a bit jittery. Her proclamation was solemn.

"Someone threw a cocktail bomb in our garden."

Upon hearing that, Yukiko suddenly grabbed her hands and checked frantically for scratches and burn marks.

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"I'm fine, I really think we should tell papa about this."

"You're right." Yukiko agreed, while Conan headed off outside to retrieve the evidence left behind.

Aiko checked the safe, and felt glad that the papers were still there, untouched.

Dialling her father's number once more, she recalled of their conversation they had upon the arrival of the documents.

Aiko had texted her father to alert him of the matter.

20 minutes ago…

"Aiko, is it you?" Shinichi's voice seemed serious.

"Yes, papa."

"Now, I want you to do as you're told: Never leave the papers alone. If you were to do that, keep them in the safe and lock the study door. Don't let anyone lay their hands on it."

"I understand." Aiko nodded.

She knew when it came to matters like this; her father's words are not to be taken lightly.

"Stay safe, Aiko. Your mother and I will be home in an hour."

Now that a cocktail bomb has been discovered, it was no reason for the situation not to be reported.

While Aiko contacted Shinichi, Conan was observing and the contents of the bomb.

"Conan~ I think it's better if you leave it somewhere. We don't want you getting hurt." Yukiko advised, worried about the curious grandson of hers.

"Tts fine, grandma. It's just a bottle filled with petrol, harmless. Well, unless I accidentally set it on fire."

Because Aiko had put out the flames as quick as she could, there are still about half of the flammable liquid remaining in the bottle.

Conan popped the bottle in a clear bag cautiously and placed it upon the oak table.

While Yukiko admired the courage and intelligence of her two young grandchildren, she couldn't help but worry if they would act as reckless as their father sometimes would.

She always tried her best to fulfil her duty as a guardian and a grandmother. Even if she was far away from them she would still seize the chance to talk to them on the phone.

These kinds of situations are never appropriate for an ordinary person to handle, let alone two teenagers, but it was the desire to protect the family that drove the brother-and-sister trio further.

Aiko frowned; Conan was in deep thought, a serious expression hung upon his face.

Yukiko could feel her heart breaking.

"Conan, Aiko, why don't we cook dinner together?"

Yukiko gently grabbed the two children's hands.

With a warm smile, she led them out of the room.

"Hooray! Let's make a lemon pie too, its papa's favourite!" Aiko cheered, her frown had completely disappeared.

"Yes, we'll cook something Shin-chan and Ran-chan will like." Yukiko squeezed the male's hand. "Conan, what should we make?"

He smiled gently.

"They haven't had steak for a while, and there are some left in the freezer."

"Good choice~ I'm quite the expert when it comes to cooking steaks, did your mother ever told you that?" Yukiko added happily.

Listening to the siblings talking about random things, all Yukiko had in mind, was the hope that this happiness would always prevail in the small family of theirs.

(A/N: I hope you liked it~ Do tell me what you think about the story so far, Ok? Lots more to come~)


	10. Chapter 7 Extra

**(A/N: Still felt like there isn't enough Misaki and Usami action going on, so please forgive my selfish desire to add something a little bit adorable as an extra. WARNING: Tiny (?) hints of pre-suggestive-smut.)**

**Chapter 7.5 (Extra)**

Misaki was eating his lunch with his friend, Toudou.

Toudou had been staring at Misaki for a while, although he hadn't stopped eating his noodles.

"What's wrong, Toudou?"

Misaki had been thinking about his struggle with Usami that morning. He had not notice that until a long 5 minutes later.

The night before…

The great author had carried Misaki into the young man's own bedroom, and had sneaked under the covers with him after helping him change into his pyjamas.

A few hours ago, they were both in the study together, concentrating on their own work.

While Misaki was irritated by the suggestion of that, he did not protest. Mainly due to his assignment deadline approaching, and the fact that he did not want to argue with his landlord who was already under a lot of pressure finishing his work.

They both worked furiously for 3 hours after they had dinner, and it was the young man that first gave in, falling asleep and sprawling on his table.

"Already one o'clock, huh…." Usami looked at the bear shaped clock that stood upon his desk.

Having finished the last chapter of the BL novel Usami was due to submit the next day, Usami stood up and yawned.

He noticed Misaki and approached him as quietly as he could, careful not to wake him up.

Looking at the screen propped up in front of Misaki, Usami sighed.

It had seemed that before Misaki could hit the 'save' button on his document file, he had already collapsed. The mouse remained frozen at the icon he was about to click on.

Usami read over the document and decided to do him a favour. He saved the document and had one copy of it printed out.

He also helped him tidy up his things, placing the stack of papers neatly upon the table with his computer beside it.

Knowing how serious and delicate his lover is with his own assignments, he decided to lend him a hand at it while he had the chance.

While all their work was done, there was no reason to leave Misaki at his table.

Usami couldn't urge himself to wake him up either, so he carried him in his arms.

Misaki's petite frame seemed to have gone a bit lighter.

He couldn't help but wonder if Misaki's stressed out and lost some weight, what with all his work, school and the recent threats he received.

The renowned author made a mental note to feed him more strawberries and more of Usami himself to help Misaki get back on track.

"Nii-chan…sensei…Usagi…san…-ove you…"

The young man muttered softly, nestling his head upon Usami's chest. A small smile slowly appeared upon his face.

While his words were mostly hard to decipher, it was the ones in the end that struck Usami the most.

Usami had to fight back his devilish urge to devour the youth.

It took all of Usami's willpower to stop himself invading the angelic looking Misaki, who was lying on his side on the bed with an extraordinarily adorable expression.

"Misaki, don't tempt me like that…" Usami thought to himself, as he undid the buttons on his lover's shirt.

The pale, tender skin underneath forced Usami to gulp nervously. He refrained himself from fondling the nipples, and decided to fulfil his urge by just touching him.

He slid his cold fingertips gently and slowly along the spine, which invited a slight shudder from his partner.

His hand promptly stopped at the lower back, fearing that he might not be able to control himself if he went further down into his trousers.

Usami hurriedly slipped on the pyjama top and proceeded to the lower half, which posed as an even greater challenge.

He fought back his temptations, and did whatever he could to stop himself from pulling Misaki's underwear down. The tingling urge to set hands upon Misaki's member was tempting, but he went for Misaki's advantage, dismissing the lustful thought and hurriedly slipped on the pyjama bottoms for him.

Misaki hadn't budged or even shown signs of waking up, even after all of that, which Usami eventually decided that it's because he's too tired.

And all of that, took a long 15 minutes.

Usami couldn't bear the thought of leaving Misaki alone, so he eventually got changed and returned to sleep by his side for the rest of the night.

And it goes without saying that Misaki chewed him out when he woke up the next morning.

Of course, Misaki never dismissed the fact that Usami had thoughtfully helped him organise his things for the next day,

"Thank you, for helping me with the assignment. You really saved me."

Misaki said before Usami drove the car out of the parking lot.

Usami had offered to drop him off, which was also part of his 'Misaki Protection Program' operation.

"Anything for my adorable little angel…"

"-Nhn-"

Usami responded and swiftly planted his lips upon Misaki's and pulled away after a short while.

It was a short kiss, but it was a good amount of 'Misaki' refilled for his day.

He's about to head out to Marukawa Publishing, where he was due for a meeting regarding a drama adaptation of his works after he'd submitted his work to his editor, Aikawa.-Something he hated the most.

"Misaki, that ring around your neck, can I see it?"Toudou asked.

_'Not. Good.'_ The thought popped inside Misaki's head.

The ring, which was hanging from a small chain round his neck was given by Usami to strengthen their bonds by the means of a proposal.

Usami forced him to wear it in his presence, but Misaki had reminded himself to take it off whenever Usami's not around.

That had completely slipped his mind.

"Errr-It's nothing to worry about, it's just my interest-"

"Interest? Eh~ I never knew about that~ Let me see it."

That only provoked Toudou's curiosity more.

Misaki himself was baffled by his own response, it was exactly what his Usagi-san went for.

"Uh, it's really nothing, I just thought this looked nice, so-"

"Eh~ Alright then…" Toudou gave up, but continued nonchalantly, "For a moment there, I thought you were married or engaged… I mean, these kinds of rings are usually for these purposes, especially one with engraved patterns like that."

Misaki paled. How right Toudou was.

"Anyway, about the school fair," Toudou started, "You're working with us, right?"

Seeing that the topic around that has finally ended, Misaki sighed a breath of relief.

"The yakisoba stall? Ah, yes."

"Oh, that's great. I still remembered the sample you made us, damn it was good! For a guy you sure can cook well~I envy you~"

"It's nothing much, I just happened to cook for my landlord, that's all. Hahaha…"

"Man, your landlord sure is lucky…" Toudou sighed.

Misaki hid the chain in his shirt.

The reason he did not hand the ring over, was because it was too incriminating.

It had 'To Misaki, my love' engraved inside the ring.

If it were to say about how Misaki felt about Usami, it was 'To Akihiko, my love'.

And that, exactly was what it was engraved on Usami's.

**(A/N: Endless sweetness~~~~~~ Hope this light chapter is to your liking…Stay tuned!)**


	11. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Yukiko rapped on the door of the study.

"Shin-chan?" When she realised it was opened slightly, she pushed it open and entered.

"Ah, mom. What's wrong?" Shinichi greeted. He was at his desk studying the documents Megure sent him.

"It's about the children. You need to do something about their safety." She approached him.

Shinichi let out a sigh. "As If I hadn't done anything already…they keep coming at us."

He tried as a chauffeur whenever they wanted to head out somewhere; even going to the point of embedding tracker chips into their phones (and they had no knowledge about it.)

Yukiko gave him a gentle pat on the back.

"Don't worry, I will do my part too. Just make sure you catch whoever's behind this, ok?"

"Mom…"

Her sunny disposition and positivity somehow always make everything better, even in the worst situation.

"Usami...Usami...Usa-"

Upon noticing a book displayed at the "New arrivals' section, Aiko halted her footsteps.

A novel with a pale yellow front cover, titled "The bear-like days" drew her attention.

As she reached to grab it, another hand took it before she could.

"Ah, I'm sorry. You were about to take that, right?" The person beside her said apologetically.

"Here," Handing her the book, he added.

She looked up to see a familiar face.

"-you're papa's client from the other day...right?"

"client-?"Misaki thought for a while, "-Ah, so you're Mr Kudou's daughter?"

Misaki looked at the high schooler standing before him. No wonder she seemed familar.

Aiko nodded and took the book.

"Thanks." she looked at it, a small smile formed at the corners of her mouth.

She noticed Misaki carrying a large stack of books in his hands. There were about 12 of them, the whole pile looked like it was about to topple over anytime. She looked at the empty basket in her other hand. Without any hesitation, she held it out towards Misaki.

"You can use this. It's difficult carrying that much around without a basket."

"No, it's alright, I can mana-" Misaki pushed the book in place with his chin. To Aiko, it seemed like the total opposite.

The books toppled over in an instant, scattered all over the floor.

Several passer-bys looked at Misaki as he quickly bent down to pick up the books.

Aiko helped him out, putting them in the basket.

"Student council love story...Yayoi ...Akikawa...?"

Illustrated on the front cover was two handsome high school boys wrapped up in an embrace. The one that looked a bit older had an arm around the other's waist, while the other hand was reaching underneath the shirt of the younger one. The younger one had his arms threw around the other's neck.

Misaki grew pale, and managed to snatch the book from Aiko's hands just before she was about to open it.

"Sorry-I shouldn't have let you seen that-"

Misaki tossed it in the basket, along with the other mangas and novels he had.

"Onii-chan...You read these kinds of books?"

Aiko could tell by the picture that this was something hazardous for her. But she was also equally curious of Misaki's taste.

"It's not, err…how do I explain this..."

Just when Misaki's searching for the right words to say, Aiko only smiled.

"Each to their taste, I suppose~"

"It's just how Usami-sensei writes; somehow it always managed to make me cry every time I re-read the novels. What do you think, Onii-chan?"

Aiko grabbed a few more detective novels as she walked along the shelves.

"Onii-chan?"

She turned around to see Misaki reading a magazine. It was flipped to a page where it had a special interview of Usami Akihiko. She noticed a small smile forming on his face.

_'Ah, they have such a good relationship', _Aiko couldn't help but think.

"Thanks for accompanying me, onii-chan." Aiko said happily.

They both exited the bookstore.

"It's nothing, I'm buying books anyway."

"I'll be heading off then," Aiko looked at her phone, "I need to be home by 4."

"Be careful on your way home." Misaki greeted.

Aiko had not left long when she noticed a motorcycle heading Misaki's way at full speed.

"ONII-CHAN! BEHIND YOU!"

Before he could react, the motorcycle drew closer. It zipped amongst the pedestrians, knocking down a few chairs and tables on the way. The rider took out a gun and headed full throttle towards Misaki.


	12. Chapter 8 part 2

**Chapter 8.5**

Misaki couldn't find the strength to run; His muscles froze in shock.

The rider fired a shot, hitting a lamp post behind him. Screams and shrieks were heard as more bullets were fired at Misaki's direction.

'_Run!_ 'Misaki instincts rang. The rider gave chase to his escapee.

The place swiftly became chaotic as the other pedestrians ran for shelter. The rider fired as dashed, hitting a few people around him.

It was obvious Misaki's never going to go far with him only on his legs. He swerved into different roads, hoping that he would lose track of the attacker. The sound of the motorcycle could still be heard. For now, he just needed somewhere safe to escape to.

Without warning, Misaki was ushered into an alley-just as the attacker had stopped in front of the entrance.

A body stood before him, shielding Misaki from the attacker. His back was against the wall, there was no room for movement. The alley was a dead end.

The attacker trained the gun onto them.

"Move!" The rider demanded.

The person in front of Misaki did not budge.

The young man looked up to meet a pair of lavender coloured eyes. It reflected a feverish, protective desire. At one glance, Misaki knew who it was.

Misaki took a peek at his attacker, but he quickly looked away at the sight of the weapon.

There was a disturbing sense of familiarity with the way his attacker acted: his voice, his movements…

Seeing no response from his target, the rider pulled the trigger.

The gun clicked once more, but nothing happened.

"Shit!" he cursed.

It had seemed that he'd run out of ammunition.

He hopped back onto his bike and dashed off at full speed.

"Misaki, are you alright? Misaki?!"

The voice that resonated around him, the warmth of the embrace he was in... After the shock, it seemed like heaven had finally graced.

Upon opening his eyes, he noticed the familiar interior of Usami's sports car.

"…"

Misaki failed to form words.

He only tightened the grip around Usami's big warm hands.

"A..Aki..hiko…" He said softly, with a weak smile upon his face.

Usami's frown finally dissolved, the feeling of reassurance returned.

He ruffled the brunette's hair.

The turnout of things was worse than Usami thought.

As the police were called to the scene of the shooting, Usami was questioned, so as Aiko.

When the investigation of the crime scene final wrapped up after a few hours, the sun had begun to set.

Usami was about to head home when Aiko approached him.

He stepped out of the car.

Aiko approached him worriedly.

"Usami-san, if there's anything I can do more to help, I-"

"Aiko, is it?" Usami flashed a sincere, warm smile, "Thanks for looking out for Misaki..."

In an instant, her cheeks flushed a pale pink.

Loss for words, she returned with a small bow and headed off.

In the meeting room of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the members of the 2nd division gathered to hear a briefing on the case.

"According to the strands of DNA found on the paper shreds and around the scene, it's no doubt Ishikawa played a part in this." Megure explained as he pointed to a photo upon the whiteboard.

Although the man's neatly combed short hair was jet black in colour, he had a slight Caucasian appearance.

"Ishikawa Takehito, 39 years old; Was a former police officer in the 2nd force division of Nagasaki; Reprimanded and sacked when he was found abusing his authority and power 4 years ago. A search was conducted, but he seemed to have been missing for the past few months."

Assistant inspector Takagi explained further as he flipped through his notebook.

"We believe that he had been in touch with his former crime partners who he met during his last few years in the force," Takagi pointed to several more photos, "Kagekawa Manami, Hiramoto Ryosuke, and Sakakibara Yasuno."

The profiles showed a woman and two men respectively. It could be deduced that their ages would lie close to Ishikawa's.

"On top of that, the three of them had previously committed several offences, including physical abuse, harassment, and attempted assault. But they were all released after serving short terms in jail and community service." Assistant inspector Sato Miwako-Takagi's workforce partner- added.

A lot has been done in tracking the group down.

While it is unsure whether the others who assisted in the robberies and assaults of the banks are all closely related to the group, it was certainly confirmed that the number of people that were wanted for the crimes are more than expected.

"According to Kudou-kun," Megure gestured to Shinichi who was sitting amongst the group. "-frequent communications had been made between them recently, and the identities of the remaining people involved has been confirmed."

Shinichi had been tracking their activities with every minute he can spare, all for the sake of solving the case.

The investigation of the shooting two days ago revealed less of the perpetrator. The only thing that was known was that this linked to the syndicate's crime itself. On the basis that the Misaki was involved, it could only mean that he in some way had unwittingly gained knowledge or interfered with the syndicate's activity. The biggest question of all, how did the main suspect disappear- it could only be explained if more were to come to light.

The face on the digital clock showed 12:35 am.

Shinichi's phone buzzed loudly, vibrating the side table by his bed.

"…Shinichi…" Ran, awoke from the sound, rubbed her eyes sleepily as she shook her husband awake.

"…Yes…I'm getting it, Ran…" Grabbing it from the bedside, he unlocked his phone.

There was a new message from Usami. The message was simple.

It read, 'Ishikawa Morisato'.

"What is it?" Shinichi muttered to himself, exploring the probability of the meaning behind the name.

A call followed shortly.

"Hello?"

"It's Usami Akihiko. I apologize bothering you at this hour, Mr. Kudou, but there's something urgent I must tell you."

Usami continued speaking, and as Shinichi listened, his eyes lit up.

He sat up from the bed and tuned in attentively to what his client had to say.

A broad smile bloomed across his face. Tiredness no longer roams his mind.

The missing puzzle pieces had all been found.

A/N: I've always wondered if the real life Misaki would call Usagi-san 'Akihiko'… (Might be out of character but Suzuki Misaki's done it, right?) It played out really well in my head, I hope it does the same for you guys too~ Tell me what you think, 'k?


	13. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The young man finally slept soundly, as Usami tightened his embrace around him.

Misaki had been talking in his sleep a lot recently.

All of them, revolving around a certain wooden display case and an 'Ishikawa'.

A shade of crimson red splashed the evening sky.

As usual, Misaki was helping out with the exhibition preparation after his classes had finished for the day; before he realized, everyone had already left and it was he and Professor Miyagi alone in the hall.

"That's it for the day, Takahashi-kun. Thank you for always helping out, you're a great help~"

Miyagi turned off the lights in the hall and made his way towards the entrance, where Misaki stood waiting.

"It's nothing," Misaki returned.

"Now all that's left is for the security guard to come around with his keys and lock the hall up."

Miyagi strode outside and began to head towards the school building.

"Professor Miyagi, aren't you going home?"

"Ah, I still have some things left to wrap up. You should head home already, your girlfriend's probably waiting for you," Miyagi gave him a wink before heading off.

_'__Girlfriend? Impossible landlord, more like…' _Misaki thought to himself.

He took out his ring and slipped it on his finger, as he had accidentally left the chain at home.

"…Hmm~ so that's what you are doing late at school…"

An arm made its way around his waist, and it goes without saying that Misaki knew who it was.

"Usagi-san! Don't do that in public!" He hissed as he freed hismself from Usami's grasp.

"How about in private?" Usami grinned.

"Don't ask such embarrassing things!"

Misaki dug his hand in his bag, checking if he's got everything.

He can't seem to locate his cellphone anywhere.

"Damn, I think I left my phone in the hall…Usagi-san, I'll go find it. It won't take a while so wait for me here." He started towards the hall.

"I'll accompany you."

Misaki did not object, _'It's not like I can stop Usagi-san from coming anyway…' _he thought.

Ever since the motorcycle incident the day before yesterday, Misaki had been extremely wary of his surroundings; Even the slightest racket around him can hit his nerves. It was difficult to dismiss the feeling that someone was watching him all the time.

Of course, he had been grateful that Usami had somehow 'followed' him to the bookstore, or else, he wouldn't have been standing here right now.

He kept searching in his bag, until he finally felt his phone sitting at the bottom.

"-Ah, there it is. It's there all along~" he took it out.

Usami smiled at the sight of his chirpy lover.

There was a small ray of light from within the hall.

"Who is it…At an hour like this…?"

Misaki stood at the entrance to get a closer look. The exhibit was not far away from the entrance so it was a reasonable distance to identify the perpetrator's face.

"Would it be the security guard?" Usami suggested in a soft voice, leaning against the outside wall.

Misaki spotted a familiar face. A person that had appeared around him too often recently.

_'__Ishikawa-san?' _

The security guard that had started working here a few months ago…The one in the dark…

_'__I'll lend you a hand at this,' Ishikawa lifted the other end of the wooden frame. _

_'__That will be great,' _

_'__Takahashi,' The man gave him a smile, 'Is your ankle alright?'_

_'__Ankle? Yes, it is. Thanks for the other day.'_

_'__It's nothing, its common sense to help, isn't it? I mean, you slipped on such a high flight of stairs…'_

It was a long time ago, when Ishikawa had assisted Misaki to get to the nurse's office in the school campus. He even helped him with the treatment because during that time it happened to be break time for the personnel in the office.

After that incident, Ishikawa often greeted him whenever he's around in the school.

Of course, Misaki being Misaki, treated him kindly since he owed a favor to him.

During the times when he helped with the exhibition, they often broke into conversations of their daily lives. It was to the extent that Misaki recognized him as an acquaintance.

_'__Ishikawa, Ishikawa Morisato. Nice to meet you."_

Misaki still remembered of their first meeting, and the exchanges between them left Misaki a kind and caring impression of him.

_'__My wife, she's a lovely woman…but right now, she's not quite what she used to be… Sad, isn't it? When your love of your life suddenly changes like that…' he chuckled, '…ha-ha, what am I doing, telling it to a young man like you…?'_

_'__Ishikawa-san…'_

_The man's frown turn into a smile,_ _'__Just kidding~ Really, I wish I was as young as you, I can have a fresh start in life once again~' _

_'__Whatever is it, hang in there, Ishikawa-san.' Misaki reassured_.

What Misaki noticed, was a completely different Ishikawa.

He had greed painted on his face. His demeanor could only be described as beastly.

He was hacking at the wood of a display case with a small knife-like thing. With several blows, a piece of the wood was seen removed from the body itself.

As if he could sense something's not right, he suddenly turned to look towards the entrance.

Upon noticing no oddities, he continued with his hijinks.

Misaki had swiftly hid outside seconds before he turned around.

"What's wrong?"

He suddenly dragged the puzzled Usami towards the gates of the university.

"Let's go home, Usagi-san,"

Before Misaki could dart across the street to get to the car, Usami held him back.

A car sped past them, leaving behind a trail of dust. A second too late, they would be knocked over.

"MISAKI!"

Misaki stood there, numb. Witnessing no response from him, Usami gently grabbed his hand and led him across the road.

Throughout the journey home, Misaki was oddly silent.

Only one question escaped him mouth.

"Usagi-san, what if someone who you thought as a friend turned two-faced against you?"

"Misaki…"

It was witnessing Ishikawa's strange behavior; Misaki realized the source of all the oddities around him. Everything had come to light.

Knowing that he couldn't possibly make dinner in this state, Usami called for takeout from an expensive sushi restaurant.

It was not until they were about to eat the young man finally spoke once more.

"…Usagi-san…I'm sorry…" his voice was weak.

Usami set down the plate in front of Misaki.

"Tell me everything, Misaki," He planted a gentle kiss on Misaki's lips, "I'm begging you…"

The bright, pale moonlight casted Usami's slender shadow upon the balcony floor.

He looked into the distance, the gentle eyes spoke of never ending concerns.

Usami clicked his lighter several times and held the cigarette end to the flame; upon hesitation, he put out the flame and pocketed the cigarette and lighter away.

'_You should think about your health more,' _Misaki's words came into his mind.

He took a glance at Misaki, who lay snugly beneath the covers of the bed.

Misaki had finally told him everything…Misaki had known too much, for an outsider.

He took out his cell phone and fired a message to the detective.

Feeling that it's not enough, he dialed the detective's number.

"It's Usami Akihiko. I apologize bothering you at this hour, Mr Kudou, but there's something urgent I must tell you."

A/N: I hope the time lapse of both sides of the story wasn't confusing; I sort of confused myself when I wrote the draft XD It'll be great if you'll tell me what do you think of Ishikawa…Comments are welcomed~


	14. Chapter 9 part 2

**Chapter 9.5**

All was known,

All was found.

3, 2, 1,

The final stage,

Game, Set and Match.

"The exhibition's looking great!"

Professor Miyagi looked upon the various exhibits that were allocated around the hall.

He nudged his colleague-Hiroki Kamijou in the arm.

"Kamijou," he tossed Kamijou a proud glance, "Pretty awesome, riiight?"

"It's good. You're saying it like you're the one doing all the work... Just remember who the one is doing all the paperwork for the exhibit arrangement."

The pair of Japanese literature professors was conducting an inspection on the exhibit that was to be officially open the next day.

"Ah, thanks a lot for that~"

Kamijou couldn't help but sigh at his merry attitude. The grin on Prof. Miyagi says everything about him-easygoing and cheerful.

Yet when it came to serious matters, he was able to go the other way around.

"Prof. Miyagi, the police requested for you. They're in front of the hall right now." A student scurried towards him, looking nervous.

"Understood." the grin on his face dropped, turning into a serious and solemn mien.

"Kamijou, take care of it for me,"

Kamijou gave him a small nod and continued to walk around the hall, ticking items and writing notes on the clipboard he was holding.

"Inspector, how can I be of assistance?"

Miyagi greeted, approaching Megure and Shinichi who were having a conversation by the patrol car.

"Ah, Mr. Miyagi, I hope we're not of any trouble. But, do you mind if we ask you some questions?"

"Certainly." Miyagi returned Megure's request with a small nod. "I suppose the meeting room would be a good place to talk,"

"That's a good idea." Shinichi agreed.

They followed as Miyagi led the way.

"So, a student of yours, Takahashi Misaki helped with the setup of the exhibition 2 weeks ago, right?"

"Yes Inspector, he did help with the setup, Ah...but he was a student of my colleague-Kamijou Hiroki."

"Can you tell me more about the day he helped out? The day the truck went missing." Shinichi asked.

"He was one of the last ones to leave the school, along with another few students. Before he left, he helped carry in a larger exhibition item. That was the last thing left in the truck, according to him."

"What was the exhibit item like?" Shinichi continued to pursue.

"Well, let me think,"

Kamijou walked around the hall, checking every exhibit item, making sure the precious artefacts were safely and securely placed in the glass display cases.

Walking past a wooden framed glass display case, he couldn't help but notice the misalignments of the displayed items.

The items consisted of a torn scroll with a poem written on it, and a few other writing materials that the poet-Bashou, seemed to have used.

The odd part of it, was that the scroll was a bit shorter than it was first seen.

It was an incomplete poem, since the end of the scroll was never found. Hiroki could have sworn it had more verses than what it was shown on the scroll itself right now.

Moreover, the misplaced item: the brush placed in the inkpot's spot, it could only mean one thing.

Someone's opened up the glass casing-When they shouldn't have been able to be opened in the first place.

"This way."

Miyagi led the inspector and Shinichi to the exhibit item he was talking about.

"Ah, where was it~?" he looked around for the exhibit, when suddenly he spotted Kamijou waving at him, signalling for him to come over.

"Prof. Miyagi! Come look at this!"

His colleague exclaimed.

"Oh! Anything interesting?"

Approaching Kamijou, he immediately noticed the problem his friend had with the exhibit.

"'-the soothing breeze that surrounds itself around me, the crimson streaked sky that resembled my feelings of-'...Yeah, I see the problem here..."Miyagi's voice trailed off, his words accompanied with a disappointed sigh.

"'-melancholy, that only the souls floated amidst would know. I yearn dearly, for the time to come: the time that the mask of truth to come afloat, amongst the lies that blinded the world. The soul that lies behind the-'" Shinichi muttered, before looking at his company, "that should be on the scroll-"

A look of amazement appeared upon the latter's face as Shinichi produced a clear plastic packet from inside his coat pocket. There were scraps of paper in the packet, which undoubtedly resembled the material of the scroll.

"Found at the crime scene...I thought I might find a match for it here." He gave the packet to Miyagi, who took it with trembling hands.

"Well, that's one artefact destroyed." Kamijou added, not sparing a disappointed look as well.

"Not completely, good thing the most of it are still unscathed. These scraps are quite useful." Megure commented.

"By useful, you mean-?"

"Yes, the culprit has been identified, Mr Miyagi. All we need now is for him to show up himself."

Miyagi and Kamijou looked at the detective, who proceeded to suggest.

"If we could ask for your assistance, Mr Miyagi, Mr Kamijou."

"Certainly, if it brings the vandal to justice." Miyagi was only too relieved to hear that.

"Trust me, they aren't just any ordinary vandals…" Shinichi grinned.

The exhibition received an extraordinary reception from the public, as thousands of visitors swarmed in everyday to take a look at the treasures beyond the century.

Of course, the damaged exhibit was fixed and adjusted, with the intention to be delicate and careful in mind.

Soon enough, the exhibition ended its 5 day run. The amount raked in from the sale of tickets was impressive, more than enough to compensate for the ruined scroll.

Whilst the clean-up of the exhibition has yet to be done, the plans to retrieve the treasure for the criminals were soon underway.

(A/N: For those who had not read or known about Basho Matsuo, the poem I wrote there IS NOT a Basho work. It was written right on the spot, so if it sounds crappy, I sincerely apologise. Other than that, tell me what you think about the chapter…

It's coming to an end, so….

I've planned and written a sequel for the story! It might be done in quite some time, so I'll just put this here. Stay tuned! Comments are most welcome. :D )


	15. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Shit…" He cursed under his breath.

He shone the torch around the hall, walking cautiously amongst the displays.

It's supposed to be somewhere around here….

Looking around, the displays seemed to have moved positions.

He had noticed the increasing presence of the police in the university a week ago. But now, all had returned to the way it was before. It would be foolish to think that they had completely dropped their suspicions around him; he had paid extra caution to his every action.

He set his sight upon his wristwatch as the hand slowly ticked 10.

They should be here soon…I better hurry up.

The light on his torch dimmed down, he made a mental note to watch his steps.

"Damn…at a time like this…"

He cursed as he headed for the switch box at the end of the room.

The torch's battery finally gave in, the light went completely out. He threw the torch to the ground. "Useless thing!" He spat as it rolled around.

As soon as he found it, he sought for the keys in his trousers pocket. The keys jingling can only be heard in the empty hall.

After many attempts, he finally found the right key. As soon as he unlocked it, he looked for the switch he had marked with an illuminated sticker. The lights came on slowly as he flipped the switch.

Looking around once more, he finally found the display he's been looking for. As he dashed towards it, the doors to the hall flung open.

"What's taking you so long?! I expected you to meet us outside 20 minutes ago." A woman's voice boomed.

Into the hall strolled in a group of three.

"Manami, What are you complaining about, it's not like there's anyone around in this hour." Another said.

"Shut up, Ryosuke." She returned sharply, and glared at the person who stood by her side, "Yasuno, you better make it up for your misses with the IP hacking."

"Hey, no one's ever broke through my hacks, except this one." The man she called Yasuno explained.

"Don't let your guard down, you moron. It was your fault that our location's been discovered. Let's just get this over with." The man hissed.

"I trust, you've turned off the security devices in here?"

"Man you're annoying, you damn woman. You'd think I wouldn't?"

"Alright, alright, Takehito, don't get your pants in a twist," Yasuno confronted.

Takehito returned the keys into his pocket, and declared, "You bastards come help me with this-"

Without any objection the three headed towards the display he stood by.

Takehito knelt down and traced his fingers along the wooden frame of the display, searching for an opening.

His hand stopped at a wide crack. He pulled at it and spotted a flash of white before his eyes.

"This is it...finally...!" a smirk hung upon his face.

He tried to pull at the plank harder, but it won't budge.

"Scoot over." Yasuno approached him and tried to do the same, but to no avail.

That was strange, considering that he had made the plank detachable beforehand.

They were absorbed in forcing the plank open; they had completely lost guard of their surroundings.

Suddenly, they heard the soft click of the hall door.

"Halt!"

Before they could pull the triggers they were already surrounded by the police.

Each of them had a handgun trained at the group. More police stood around the room, most stood by the entrance to avoid them escaping.

"You're all surrounded! Drop your weapons!" Megure's voice boomed loudly through the megaphone.

One by one, they stood up with their hands in the air.

All but one remained standing with his rifle in his hand.

"LIKE HELL!" Takehito let out a cry and aimed for the human barricade around him.

Before he could pull the trigger, a bullet had hit him in the hand, prompting him to drop his weapon.

Almost immediately, he dropped to the ground, clutching his hand in pain. The scowl on his face marked clearly with anger and unresolved vengeance.

Blood was pouring furiously out of the wound, but once more, he reached for his weapon.

Only this time, it was swiftly kicked far away as soon as a pair of black shoes came into his view. He felt a cold sensation at his temples, as Takagi held him at a gunpoint.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you? Ishikawa Morisato?!"

Takehito smirked. "You knew all along, didn't you? To think that I was arrested by the same policeman twice…"

As the handcuff was clapped around his wrists, he let out a long sigh.

"The feeling of losing your job, your wife and going into debt at the same time…I don't expect a man like you would understand how I feel, right?" The look of desperation on his face was indescribable.

"I don't, but that doesn't give you the right to commit crimes. You had a good future ahead, and you threw it away." Takagi returned sharply.

As Takagi walked past Megure, the senior gave Takagi a pat on the shoulder.

"Good job, Takagi-kun."

He returned it with a weak smile as he dipped a small bow in Megure's direction.

"It's true, I conducted the public shooting."

Ishikawa Takehito stared down at the desk. A table lamp stood between him and Takagi. Inspector Megure and Shinichi stood by Takagi.

"Do you deny," Shinichi slid a letter across the desk, "that you're the one who sent this to Takahashi Misaki?"

He took a look at the piece of folded paper, and stared at it.

"…No."

His response came out after a brief moment of silence, but there was a tone of confirmation in his voice.

"I assume that's a confession to your crimes, then." Megure concluded.

The mask of untruths,

A hand reaches out,

The mask lies amidst,

Alas,

Truth was found…


	16. Chapter 10 part 2

The air in the questioning room was stiff.

All the people who aided them were all arrested and questioned earlier, as the data found beforehand regarding the syndicate listed them as potential targets. A minority of them were first time offenders, while the remainder of them had involvements in criminal activity prior to this case.

Most of them gave in to the pressure and gave out all they knew about the plan and the syndicate, while some kept their mouths shut. Nevertheless, they were all found guilty as the data obtained proved as enough evidence regarding their involvement. The alibis they provided added confidence to the police's claim.

The trio, Sakakibara Yasuno, Kagekawa Manami and Hiramoto Ryosuke were all questioned and stamped with the unshakable claim of guilt.

Ishikawa was still being questioned.

"So, in short, the eye witness had gained some knowledge of the whereabouts of the stolen money. Probably when he was moving the exhibits, he noticed oddities. You had known him a long time ago, but you got closer and followed him, making sure he never got to tell his side of the story. But he had told an associate, so you had to rid him for good. You launched an attack with the public shooting incident a while ago. During the whole time, you sent threat letters and monitored his every action when he's in the university, getting close to him to get a grasp of his knowledge of your plans. " Megure declared.

No words came from Ishikawa, he remained as silent as ever.

"After your expulsion, you went for plastic surgery and dyed your hair, successfully living a new identity. Since then you had been working at Mitsuhashi University as a security guard. You adopted the alias of Ishikawa Morisato, because if you used your real name, the reason for your expulsion from the police force will hinder you from getting the job."

"Also, the plotting for the connected bank robberies and assaults started when your associates approached you. During that time, you were on the verge of divorce and your debts had gone out of hand, so you opted for a chance at the plan."

"The plan went smoothly, as you calculated. You told Sakakibara Yasuno, a software designer and programmer to investigate cash delivery details by hacking onto the police department's IP sites. You the arranged the time of the robberies and your escape; of course, you did not forget to misguide the vehicle's GPS systems." Shinichi continued.

"As soon as the last robbery was done, which was in Tokyo, you drove by the university as an escape route from the pursuing police. You stopped the truck next to the one which stored the exhibition items and improvised the plan. No one was around, and it was rather late in the afternoon. The good thing was it was parked in the vicinity of tall trees, so you hid the loot in the exhibition case without being noticed."

The criminal held his head low as he listened, tightening his fists.

"If you were to go with your original plan, which was to have it banked into your account, it would attract suspicions as your pay doesn't come in the large amounts of your planned share of the loot. You hid the money in the display case because you saw an alternative for the wind to die down a bit. You had took out all the money while your accomplice, probably Sakakibara Ryosuke and Kagekawa Manami drove off with the truck as soon as they could. By the time this had happened, you were trying to hide the money in the exhibition case."

"With that, you were forced to open up the glass casing of the exhibit because you had no idea how to hide such a large amount of money, then it occurred to you that the wooden body could be used. Hence, that explains why the items in the glass casing had been rearranged differently. A precious scroll was also destroyed in the process." Shinichi paused.

"This is where we want to hear from you."

He stood in front of Ishikawa.

"Why did you target an innocent university student?"

Ishikawa let out a small chuckle.

"If you think I would harm the innocent, you're wrong, BECAUSE HE'S NOT!"

He stood up and slammed his hands against the desk. Takagi, who happened to be behind him, pushed him back down on his seat.

"Ishikawa!"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

He scowled and buried his face in his hands. The handcuffs had left a bruise on his wrists.

"HE FUCKING SAW EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING!" Ishikawa exclaimed once more.

'Ishikawa-san? What are you doing?'

Ishikawa was hiding the last bundle of money when Misaki approached him.

'T-Takahashi,' Ishikawa quickly turned around to face the young man. 'I'm just fixing something-'

'Ah~ I see.' Misaki noticed the empty bags that carried the money and reached for it.

Ishikawa grabbed it before he could, which invited a puzzled reaction from Misaki.

'I'm going to move this into the hall,' the young man pointed to the exhibit Ishikawa was tinkering with, and shouted into the distance, where two men stood. 'Honda, Toudou, please come help me with this!"

'Coming!' Toudou declared as both he and Honda headed Misaki's way.

Ishikawa had quickly fixed the hole he had made and hid the bags under the truck.

'Takahashi, I'll help too.' Ishikawa feigned a smile.

'That'll be great.'

Ishikawa held the end nearest to the hole, while Misaki and the others held the other 3 corners.

He noticed that Misaki kept his eyes on the place he had a hole made.

'I hope this is not a delivery damage…Professor Kamijou would be mad if he found out.'

'Where?' Ishikawa asked sheepishly, 'I'll tend to it, I'm quite handy with tools.'

'Here,' Misaki gestured to the spot as he set it down in the hall.

Noticing a small piece of paper poking out from the hole, he reached for it when Ishikawa pulled it out and quickly hid it in his pocket.

It looked like a ten thousand yen note.

'Leave it to me, Takahashi.' Ishikawa smiled.

Misaki couldn't dismiss the feeling that something's a bit off.

"I had to conceal it, 'cause that damn brat always noticed that spot. Every. Single. Time."

"Just that?" Megure questioned.

"Isn't that enough?!" Ishikawa exclaimed.

Megure and Takagi looked at him in disappointment. Shinichi leaned against the door, a solemn expression hung upon his face.

"HE TOLD THE DETECTIVE AND POLICES EVERYTHING FUCKING THING HE KNEW!"

"Stay down, Ishikawa." Shinichi warned.

"The truck was never seen on the highways and roads anywhere, because as soon as you crossed the closest designated highway tunnel, you used a cover up around the vehicle. It came out as something different." Megure explained.

Ishikawa looked at the three men, as if he was challenging them to reveal the ultimate trick.

"…It was a supermarket chain delivery truck. The supermarket denied of any deliveries during at that hour, so it was confirmed. They also reported of a break in of their delivery warehouse, stating several items including the cloth that was spread over the truck was found missing. It was burnt in a pile beside the truck. The full can of gasoline was also found in the vehicle." Takagi revealed.

"You were intending to have the vehicle hidden somewhere, hen have it disposed by setting it on fire. But there was one miscalculation-"Megure paused, "The truck had run out of petrol, so they had to stop at Hamamatsu. Even if there were any gas stations nearby, it'll be attracting attention. Of course, there's none in that countryside area, so they used the place's geography to its benefit."

Shinichi joined in.

"The truck was submerged head first into a nearby creek, and the cloth disguising the truck was burned to destroy the evidence. It was intended to burn the truck as well, but before they could do that, the sighting of the truck in the creek had caused a small fuss around the area. So they had to flee, leaving the truck behind."

"They returned some days later, in time to implement the final stage of the plan-the process of retrieving the loot with as less attention as possible. They came in contact with you; just as you reported of the location it was hidden."

"The setting up the exhibit was done 3 weeks before the opening, and since you're the security guard, you get a chance at approaching the exhibits more than anyone else. So, during your rounds, you used the opportunity to check if the hole's sealed in time for the final stage."

"Until the final day before the exhibits were about to be sent back, you broke open the hidden compartment you've installed and planned to retrieve it: late in the night- when no one's in the university." Megure concluded. "Anything we've missed out? Ishikawa-san?"

A sorrow look lingered upon his face.

"Isn't that enough truth for now?" He looked away. "Please, just take me away. Lock me up. Let me die a dignified man."

"There's no's dignity left in you anymore… You were acquaintances with Takahashi-san, and you turned against him, just like that. He was kind to you; he listened to your problems... " Shinichi confronted, "Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

"You voluntarily helped him when he fell off the stairs, doesn't that tell you something about yourself?"

Ishikawa only smiled sadly.

"I guess it's just my own problems then...?"

Takagi gestured for him to stand up. He walked out the room with Takagi and Megure.

Looking back at Shinichi, he said solemnly, "Please send Takahashi my apologies, from the bottom of my heart. If he would forgive me, let me know. But, I don't think I have the right to say that, after all that I've done… Let him know, he's a good fellow."

Shinichi nodded as Ishikawa returned with a small satisfied smile.

Ishikawa's eyes reflected of a spirit suffering from the wrath of his own thoughts. It was clear that there was once hope in him, but now it's hidden under all the desperation he had in his heart.

What was hoped of him was the chance for him to start again…A fresh new beginning.

Putting the cellphone next to his ear, Shinichi spoke.

"Usami-san, what's his response?"

"…It's obvious isn't it? Forgiveness is not something that comes into mind that easily after something like that happened. You would agree with me, right? Mr. Kudou?"

"…Perhaps you're right."

The detective let out a heavy sigh. The man voiced his own thoughts exactly.

Kindness,

Cruelness,

Truths,

Falsehoods,

In the mist he wanders.


	17. Epilogue

'The final court case of the bank robbery syndicate concluded yesterday. The ring leaders, Ishikawa Takehito, Kagekawa Manami, Sakakibara Yasuno, and Hiramoto Ryosuke are sentenced to a prison with a minimum of 15 years. The remaining members of the syndicate received a sentence of 12 years-'

The image on the television suddenly disappeared.

"Aiko, come help with the cooking. Your guests are about to arrive, what are doing just sitting down with your feet up?"

"But mom, Isn't it supposed to be my birthday?" Aiko whined, sitting up from the couch.

"No buts-"Ran hurried her. "Takahashi-san's going to be here too."

"-Onii-chan is?" Aiko jumped up happily. "Did papa invite Usami-san too?"

"He's coming along with Takahashi san, and your grandparents are going to be here too."

"I'm on it!" Aiko dashed to the dining room.

"That girl…" Ran smiled.

Before Ran could head off once more to the kitchen, the sound of the gate opening was heard.

'It must be Shinichi' she thought, as she headed the entrance to welcome him.

Into the genkan strolled in her husband, with Hattori and Kazuha behind him.

"Ran, long time no see!"

Kazuha suddenly glomped Ran, surprising her.

"Yo, Ran." Hattori greeted, "We bumped into Kudou at the shops again today, we heard that there's a party happening so we followed him home~"

Shinichi glared at Hattori. "Ran, the groceries you wanted." He held out a plastic bag as he bent over to take off his shoes.

"Thanks." Ran greeted, taking the bag from his hands. "Come in, Kazuha, Hattori-kun,"

As they headed inside, Hattori spotted Aiko-who was peeking from behind a wall.

"Ah~ Here's the birthday girl~" Hattori held out his hand and ruffled her hair. "Happy birthday.

"Uncle Takoyaki!"

"It's 'Uncle Hattori'," he sighed. He turned around, only to be met by Shinichi's mischievous grin.

"Kudou, teach your daughter proper things, please."

"If it's regarding you, I'll tell her whatever I want." Shinichi returned.

"Shinichi!" Ran exclaimed.

"Where's Conan-kun?" Kazuha looked around.

"He's taking a bath. He just came back from soccer practice." Ran took out the items in the bag and looked at it.

"Ran, I'll help with the cooking, if you haven't finished preparing the food…"

"Ah, that'll be great," Ran turned her head slightly to the side, "Come on, Aiko,"

Aiko broke into a light jog until she caught up with her.

"Granny just came downstairs to make lemon pie!" she said happily.

"She's good at it, but she's the best at steaks, did you know?"

"I knew that, mom. Granny told me herself."

Both men watched as their wives headed towards the kitchen.

"Kazuha, she's expecting again." Hattori announced.

"Really? I thought you didn't want any more children, other than Haruka."

"She said she wanted to be like Ran. And as much my Haruka may seem like a tomboy, she still said she wanted a little brother." Hattori sighed.

(Hattori Haruka, 16 years old- Hattori's daughter.)

"Where is she? Did she not come with you?"

"Girl's baseball training camp. Why won't she do Kendo…?"

Shinichi could only offer his friend a sympathetic pat on the back.

"She'll come to it, someday."

"I could be a good mentor to her…" Hattori continued to sulk.

The Osakan's phone suddenly rang.

''It's from Ootaki-han," he excused himself, heading off into the living room. "That'd better not be another murder case." He muttered to himself.

Shinichi watched, feeling sorry for the guy that was supposed to be enjoying his one month vacation.

Suddenly remembering that the gate wasn't shut, Shinichi quickly headed outside.

The moment he reached the gate, a Ferrari arrived in front of the house. Knowing who that was, he walked up to it.

"Kudou-san, I hope we're not too early."

Misaki walked out from the car, followed by his lover.

"No, you're just in time," Shinichi smiled, "I'm so glad you agreed to come, Usami-san, Takahashi-san."

"It's nothing. After all, your daughter did look out for Misaki." Usami returned.

As soon as they headed into the house, they were greeted by the sight of Ran, Kazuha and Aiko preparing the table.

Upon spotting Aiko, Usami walked up to her. She stood there, feeling star struck as she took the present the great author handed her.

"I've signed it for you. I hope you like it, Aiko." He flashed a small smile.

"Thank you so much, Usami-san!"

The feeling of ecstasy bubbled inside Aiko. "Can I open it?" she asked excitedly.

"Sure."

Aiko opened the wrapper, and as soon as she set her eyes on the front cover her eyes sparkled.

"'Summer has come!' The latest book!"

Misaki approached his lover and gave Usami an approving smile.

'Usagi-san, good job.' Misaki said softly.

Usami had never been good with people, especially someone of Aiko's age. But in Aiko's case, he was more than glad to be interacting with her. After all, without her, Misaki wouldn't have noticed the danger he was in a few weeks ago.

The detective boys arrived, followed by Ran's parents and Shinichi's father-Kudou Yuusaku. Professor Agasa did not come by much later, but Miyano Shiho did stay for a while, who Ran and Shinichi were more than happy to meet.

Of course, they all marveled at the fact that the great author Usami Akihiko was in the house.

The fact that Misaki had helped Ran with the food preparation made everyone wonder of his housekeeping capability, with him being barely over 26. Unknown to them, Misaki had always been a 'wife' to Akihiko…Not that they needed to know about it anyway.

While the teenagers entertained themselves with video games upstairs, the adults took the time to relax in the back garden.

With a glass in their hands, Usami and Misaki stared out into the evening sky watching the sun set.

Soft smiles were exchanged as their gazes met. Usami gently took his lover's hand, feeling the warmth through the small palm of his.

Misaki tugged gently to free himself from his grip, but the firm grasp hindered the attempt.

"Hey, there are people around here-"

"I know. Let them watch as they like," Usami commented, "Besides, don't you think sunsets like this are the most beautiful if you're watching it with someone you love?"

"Mr. esteemed-author-who-won-the-Kikukawa-and-Naomori-award. Is that really the best you've got?" Misaki gave up, letting out a small sigh.

Usami grinned. "Cliché at its best."

What Ishikawa had done, was unforgivable even to the kindest of people like Misaki himself. Nevertheless, the wounds of the spirit can be healed by the flow of time and a bit of care, especially by a loved one. But now that he managed to escape the unfortunate outcomes of fate, the thing he won't hesitate to embrace, was the fact that he had a brilliant life to live, alongside with the person he treasured.

Those, were the thoughts that circled their minds.

"Misaki, do me a favour."

Placing his lips against the rim of the glass, Usami said.

"What is it?"

"Call me 'Akihiko' once more, just like last time."

Misaki almost spit out his drink. He had never imagined himself saying that name that his alter ego in Usami's novels would do. He had tried to convince himself that the last time he said that was due to shock; Or just Usami imagining things.

Despite that, the fact that it had happened once cannot be denied. And Usami refused to let him live it down ever since.

"No. Way. In. Hell."

Misaki returned, gritting his teeth.

"I will make you say it one more time, whether you want to or not."

Whether it's instincts or experience, Misaki felt a foreboding sense of doom.

But the large, cold hand that held his ever so tightly was determined to never let go; Misaki too, intended to do so.

Nevertheless, all is well. As the couple continued to gaze at the stars, the Kudou's and the Hattori's were far away observing them.

"I never knew the great author had this side to him." Hattori commented.

"Well, let's just keep this between ourselves, shall we?"

Shinichi had a small grin on his face. As unbelievable as it seemed, the group looked like they had accepted the truth as it were.

(A/N: Stay tuned to an extra Junjou fluff chapter, guys~ Hoped you liked the story~)


	18. Extra: Junjou Fluff

"Mitaki!"

The 5 year Old's face lit up at the sight of Misaki at the kindergarten school gates. Mahiro ran as fast as his little legs could, launching himself into Misaki's open arms.

Kneeling down to his level, Misaki gently ruffled the child's hair.

"Mahiro, you'll trip over if you run this fast," he chuckled slightly.

He stood up once more, with Mahiro's tiny yellow backpack held in one hand and Mahiro's hand in the other.

"Let's go."

The child nodded, a bright smile beamed upon his face.

It all happened a few days ago.

Misaki's sister-in-law had to return to her mother's hometown to handle a family emergency. Her son-Mahiro, had to be temporarily put under Misaki's care since Takahiro was overseas on a business trip. Not to mention, there's a kindergarten attendance to account for.

Misaki wasn't at all adept in this aspect, but he had gained enough experience to get by. Plus, Mahiro had spent a lot of time with him that he's more than glad to stay.

"Misaki, thank you so much."

"Don't worry about it. Leave it to me, I'm sure Usagi-san wouldn't mind either."

"I'll come back as quick as possible, I'm really sorry for troubling you for the second time," she apologized once more.

"It's nothing. I can handle this much."

It was after Misaki's repeated reassurance that the call finally ended.

After going grocery shopping, Misaki decided to take Mahiro along on a stroll in the shopping district.

Upon walking past an ice cream cafe, the child stared at the huge teddy bear display in the window.

"Unagi." Mahiro tugged Misaki's hand, which was holding his; the other pointing to the display.

"Ah, you mean Suzuki-san, right?"

It must have been the frequency of seeing teddy bears around in the condominium, which Mahiro had learned to associate the stuffed toys to the great author himself. Especially, one with a decorated ribbon tied around its neck.

Misaki crouched down to the child's level, squatting right next to him, admiring the toy's majestic built from a worm's eye view- or in this case, Mahiro's eye view.

"It's cute isn't it?"

The child nodded in response.

With the door pushed open, Mahiro scurried excitedly into the café.

"Kids bear sundae, and green tea ice cream parfait."

The waitress set the desserts gently upon the table. Scoops of frozen confectionery sat in a clear oval bowl, with large chocolate chips as eyes and nose for the bear-head themed dessert. Colorful sprinkles scattered on the remaining area of the bowl, with a waffle fan stuck onto the side.

Almost immediately, Mahiro picked up the dessert spoon and feasted on the delicacy. Misaki watched him as he took the first spoonful of his parfait. The sweetness mixed with the mesmerising scent of green tea, it was heaven to his tastebuds.

Still, he was tempted to try what his little nephew had.

While a waitress approached Mahiro with a balloon, Misaki quickly nipped a tiny spoonful from the side. Although he felt a little guilty, he was glad that the child hadn't noticed anything.

"Mahiro, you like your balloon?" Misaki nodded at the waitress in thanks.

"Look, look, Mitaki! It's bear shaped!"

Mahiro held down the floating balloon, almost pressing it against Misaki's face.

"That's great. Come on Mahiro, give me your hand."

Although confused, the child did what he was told.

He took the balloon, and slid the large hoop attached to the end of the string around Mahiro's tiny right wrist.

The child watched it floating above him as he flailed his arms up and down, his expressions full of awe.

"Hold on tight to it, that way it won't fly away, okay?"

"Yes!"

Mahiro nodded, a grin spread across his face.

While Misaki was distracted by Mahiro playing, someone pulled out a chair at their table and sat across Misaki.

"A coffee, please."

"Yes, sir." The approaching waiter took his leave.

The deep voice was easily recognisable, there was no need to question.

"Usagi-san!"

Misaki looked as Usami sneaked some of his parfait.

"Too sweet." He commented.

"Great lord Usami, please don't force yourself."

"How did you know I'm here?"

"GPS, modern technology are so convenient nowadays."

Usami said, waving it in the air.

"Stop behaving like a stalker!"

Even so, Usami seemed quite happy right now. As to why, the reason is probably easy to know.

They were in a bear themed cafe.

Misaki felt glad to see him in a good mood like this, the corners of his lips raised to form a small smile.

"How long will he stay with us?"

Looking towards Mahiro, Usami questioned.

"A few more days. Nee-chan just texted me."

"Hmm..."

The great author gazed outside the shop window.

"Yuuri, come in! Come in!"

"Haha- No need to rush, Greta, you're going to pull Wolfram's arm off."

"Don't laugh, you wimp!"

Into the cafe entered two young men and a little girl.

The men looked about 17-18 years: one was blonde with emerald coloured eyes; the other had the appearance of the average Japanese man- jet black hair and eyes. The little girl, however, had a slightly tanned complexion and brown locks down to her shoulders.

The little girl held the blonde's hand, dragging him towards the vacant seat next to Misaki's while the other followed behind slowly, chuckling a little.

As the waitress handed them the menu, The little girl excitedly looked at the bears decorated around the room.

They were on the menus, the napkins, the table, the walls, on every cutlery and ceramics, which fitted the theme of the cafe too well.

"Greta, calm down. The bearbee in the window isn't going to disappear."

Reading through the menu, the blonde reminded.

"It's a cute sandbear." she then turned towards the dark haired one. "Yuuri, can I look around?"

"Sure, after you've ordered yours. What do you want?"

She took the menu Yuuri handed her. A troubled expression hung upon the blonde's face as he read the menu.

After going through it, the little girl and the blonde set down the menu on the table in sync.

"This one!"

Both pointed to the exact same thing, while declaring simultaneously- a bear strawberry ice cream parfait with the design of a pink butterfly.

"The same for both of you?!"

Yuuri held himself back from fretting. Its cost was almost half of his weekend's part time job's pay. But it wasn't his style to let his little princess Greta down. He'd hate to see her disappointed.

"You did say we could order something we like." Wolfram argued.

Seizing the chance, Yuuri teased, "You really do like pink and frilly things huh, Wolf."

"D-Does it m-matter?"

"No. Just thinking that it suits you...it's cute." Yuuri commented in a soft register, unaware of what he was saying.

"Wimp."

"Don't call me wimp!"

The blonde looked away, trying to conceal his embarrassment.

"Huh, where's Greta?" Yuuri looked around.

She must have been exploring. Children were heading to the playroom inside the cafe. Who knew that existed?

Not long, they were attended to and Yuuri placed his orders.

While waiting the two had a little chat, until Greta returned to the table with another little boy.

They both had a little teddy bear each, with a matching patterned ribbon around the toy's neck.

"Wolfram, Yuuri, we played a game together and we won!"

Greta said happily, showing the bear to them.

"That's great, so he's your friend now?" Yuuri looked at the little boy, who sat down at the table next to theirs.

"His name's Mahiro, and he's 5." Greta explained, while greeting Mahiro who waved at her.

Yuuri took a glimpse at the people at the table.

Upon meeting Misaki's gaze, he returned a smile and nodded.

The glimpse of the two pink desserts and a green tea parfait coming their way grabbed Greta's attention.

As soon as it was set down in front of them, they prepared to feast on it.

"Greta, do you like yours?"

The little girl nodded happily in response to Yuuri's question.

"Yuuri, I want to try some of yours." Wolfram kept staring at the green tea parfait Yuuri had.

"Eh?"

Before Yuuri could react, he had already stole it from him.

"Hey, you haven't touched yours!"

"Beautiful things like this should last longer, I'm eat mine in a while."

Wolfram kept the dessert out of Yuuri's reach, shifting it around.

"Wolfram, Yuuri~ don't fight over that~!"

The little girl joined in.

By the next table, Misaki and Usami watched them in silence, while Mahiro concentrated on enjoying his ice cream.

The good thing was, that the cafe was quite noisy, as the other customers were chatting amongst themselves. Nobody paid too much attention to the commotion happening at that table.

Except Misaki and Usami.

Usami flipped open a menu on the table, seeming to be searching for something.

"Usagi-san, if you're thinking of ordering me that pink parfait, I'm definitely not going to eat it."

Misaki commented, pointing to his green tea parfait.

Plus, he's still haunted by the sight of strawberries, ever since Usami had bought him another excessive 10 kilogram crate of A-grade strawberries a few weeks ago. Misaki only wanted a few to go with the cake he was baking with Kaoruko- a cousin of Usami.

"Understood."

Upon the response, the man rose from his seat and headed towards the counter. He returned after a while, with a keychain. The keychain had a bear on it, and it had a bright red strawberry headpiece on.

"I've paid for the meal. Also, they sell these as well."

He placed it in Misaki's open palm.

"...Thank you."

Usami must have caught him staring at it when while they were waiting.

It was something he had intended to buy when they leave the shop.

Still, a small, caring gesture like this, it made Misaki loved him even more.

They decided to leave for home. Stepping out of the cafe, something came into Misaki's mind.

"Ah, I have to stop by the supermarket. We're out of toilet paper."

"I'll drive you. It's quite far away."

It took them a while to reach the car, since it was parked at quite a distance. But with Mahiro's hand in his, and Usami walking by his side, the presence of time slipped away.

6 high school students brushed past them, one of the shorter girl in the group turned to look at the trio.

"Onii-chan, that's Takahashi onii-san, and Usami-san,"

She pulled at the spectacled teen's right jacket sleeve, gesturing towards them.

He turned around, the remaining members of the group continued on.

"Aiko, are you sure? They had a child with them."

"It's definitely them, Conan, look carefully!" She insisted, pulling her brother closer.

By this time they were already quite far away, but the broad shoulders and the unusual tint of grey hair of the taller man was unmistakably, the great author. As for 'shorty' Misaki, his height still highlighted his 'inferiority' in their relationship...well, in some ways.

"Perhaps they've decided to adopt. How nice~"

At his little sister's remark, Conan smiled.

"Guys~ c'mon, the ice cream cafe's right here!" Genta hollered to the siblings.

"Coming!"

They headed towards the group once more.


End file.
